Life is hard; it’s harder if you’re stupid.
Men are by nature merely indifferent to one another; but women are by nature enemies.
What disturbs and depresses young people is the hunt for happiness on the firm assumption that it must be met with in life. From this arises constantly deluded hope and so also dissatisfaction. Deceptive images of a vague happiness hover before us in our dreams, and we search in vain for their original. Much would have been gained if, through timely advice and instruction, young people could have had eradicated from their minds the erroneous notion that the world has a great deal to offer them.
A high degree of intellect tends to make a man unsocial.
We are constantly being herded like sheep by the media, politicians, celebtards, sports stars, corporations and social media to the pen of group think. Do what we say, not what we do. Buy this and your life will be better. Vote for me and I’ll do anything for you (until I get elected, then my goal is to get re-elected…not help you). It goes on depending on their agenda.
We are born with a conscience. Even Cain knew it was wrong to kill Abel before any law was handed down about murder.
So no matter whether or not you choose follow along like a sheeple, right vs. wrong still exist regardless of what we do to convince ourselves otherwise.
Critical thinking and being strong enough to stand up for what is right is hard when you are pressured to go along to get along. Be strong and don’t be afraid to be right. In the long run it is best. You will also be able to live with yourself instead of second guessing what you should have done.
Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.
No one would wish what happened to us with the China/Wuhan/Covid-19/Kung flu/Corona virus this year. I wonder if there is any silver lining?
WE’VE LEARNED THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE IN PERSON AT WORK
First, the essential workers should be commended. Those putting their life at risk for the rest of us or to keep us able to stay away but help keep the economy going do need to be there. They don’t get thanked enough and deserve more accolades than they are getting. I can’t list them all, but you know who you are as do we, especially when we go out or are in need and you are there.
There are a group of desk jockeys that can work from anywhere, including home, the coffee shop or anywhere that has WIFI. Many companies are still getting along just fine without everyone in their cubicles or open office space being babysat by next level of ladder climbers and wannabees.
Yes, some of them are goofing off, but they goof off at the office also. They self-sort themselves out of their jobs after a while anyway. The other workers know who is carrying their load and who is carrying a load of bullshit without them being there.
We have been forced into a higher level of trust to get the job done. I’ve worked for some who didn’t trust their employees if they weren’t at their desk. If you treat people like grownups they will be. If you treat them poorly or like monkeys, like managers I’ve had they will eat bananas.
Now, those who want to work at home or remotely had the chance to prove that they could get the job done and don’t have to go into an office to do the same thing.
For introverts, this is a blessing. They don’t have to be sentenced to the jail of in person meetings or having to have their day ruined by HR regimented nonsense that can be done in non-critical hours.
PRODUCTIVITY
This is a unique time to get more work done, or to refine our work habits. See above about goofing off in the office and you have now eliminated water cooler BS sessions, meaningless meetings that can be done on email or chat and time to actually concentrate.
I know those in sales have to talk, but if they concentrate more on selling, they too will be more productive. A lot of them are too chatty anyway.
The USA works more than other countries and it appears that we like to work. You can tell by how much we’ve achieved, but also the lack of vacation we take vs. other countries. Hey, but how many countries have landed a man on the moon?
We have the opportunity to open up (re-open up) and unleash the greatest economy and workforce that has ever existed. There are people dying to get back to work that may be furloughed. I only hope the politicians haven’t put onerous rules in place that hurts the economy and the ability for small businesses to thrive.
TRAVEL
You can now go anywhere you need to if you want. I imagine that travel will be light at first, although some with pent up demand or anxiety will leave as soon as it is allowed. The downside will be the TSA security check lines if we have to stay 6 feet apart. The line will be out of the building and into long term parking.
I read that the bookings for Cruise ships are in high demand, something I just don’t understand. Cruise ships are petri dishes for viruses and have been for a long time. Why you would want to be in basically a jail cell that travels with limited escape time to buy a T-shirt doesn’t seem desirable, but I have friends who love it. They mostly like to eat though and say it’s a cheap way to travel. At least they won’t be on planes for those of us who want to get where we are going and then actually see the country/place we are visiting.
You won’t have to worry about getting stuck in the middle seat for a while on an airplane. That is the designated social distancing seat, like it’s going to matter when you are in a tube for hours and well within the reach of a cough or a sneeze. I love this one as the airlines have made travel less enjoyable year over year. The armrest fight for position will be solved for now.
I imagine there will be a lot of deals at first. Travel costs should be down as well as tourist traps will have good prices to make up for the time we’ve spent in our quarantine jail. Get ’em while you can. There will be less tourists everywhere you go and businesses dying to offer deals to make up for the faux shut down.
BE POSITIVE
One can look at the downside and think that the world is going to end and that we might die from Covid-19. The statistics say that it is mostly in a few concentrated places (NE corridor and elderly care facilities) and affects those with a co-morbidity. The odds are in our favor that we won’t get it or that it won’t be as bad as the media is trying to shove down our throats.
When this passes (hint: watch how soon it passes after the November election is over regardless of who wins) the opportunities to better your life and enjoy some things in the work/life balance that have been either ruined or complicated for us.
We have been in quarantine for a while now. Most are dying to get back to their life of being busy. I’ve observed that those who want to get out the most are the ones who are trying to escape from themselves. It is a time of introspection. If it weren’t an election year, it probably would have been lifted in a lot of places by now.
The extroverts have to talk to others. The introverts don’t mind being alone, but are bothered when they are quarantined with an extrovert that makes their life miserable thinking that they have to talk all the time. They can’t wait for it to be lifted so that they can be home alone again.
Those of us who are truly comfortable with ourselves can enjoy the solitude without distress. The needy are those who have to have others as a salve for their issues. It is a good time to learn to deal with your issues. That is when you are finally free.
Invariably, other people will disappoint you and things are transitory. Most people don’t want to face their weaknesses, rather they mask them with whatever strength they currently or previously have had.
When you are comfortable with what you have, you can then look for happiness. Some never find it, but I hope that most of you at least get on the path to it. Here’s your hint of the day, stop caring about others approval of you. You will stop caring what others think about you when you realize how seldom they do.
1. Your shoes are the first things people subconsciously notice about you. Wear nice shoes.
2. If you sit for more than 11 hours a day, there’s a 50% chance you’ll die within the next 3 years.
3. There are at least 6 people in the world who look exactly like you. There’s a 9% chance that you’ll meet one of them in your lifetime.
4. Sleeping without a pillow reduces back pain and keeps your spine stronger.
5. A person’s height is determined by their father, and their mother determines their weight.
6. If a part of your body “falls asleep”, you can almost always “wake it up” by shaking your head.
7. There are three things the human brain cannot resist noticing – food, attractive people and danger.
8. Right-handed people tend to chew food on their right side.
9. Putting dry tea bags in gym bags or smelly shoes will absorb the unpleasant odor.
10. According to Albert Einstein, if honeybees were to disappear from earth, humans would be dead within 4 years.
11. There are so many kinds of apples, that if you ate a new one every day, it would take over 20 years to try them all.
12. You can survive without eating for weeks, but you will only live 11 days without sleeping.
13. People who laugh a lot are healthier than those who don’t.
14. Laziness and inactivity kill just as many people as smoking.
15. A human brain has a capacity to store 5 times as much information as Wikipedia.
16. Our brain uses the same amount of power as a 10-watt light bulb!!
17. Our body gives enough heat in 30 minutes to boil 1.5 liters of water!!
18. The Ovum egg is the largest cell and the sperm is the smallest cell!!
19. Stomach acid (conc. HCl) is strong enough to dissolve razor blades!!
20. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day & while you walk, SMILE. It is the ultimate antidepressant.
21. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
22. When you wake up in the morning, pray to ask God’s guidance for your purpose, today.
23. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
24. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, broccoli, and almonds.
25. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
26. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts and things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
27. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
28. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
29. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Forgive them for everything.
30. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
31. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
32. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
33. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
34. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
35. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’
36. Help the needy, be generous! Be a ‘Giver’ not a ‘Taker’
37. What other people think of you is none of your business.
38. Time heals everything.
39. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
40. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. Each night before you go to bed, pray to God and be thankful for what you accomplished, today. What if you woke up this morning and only had what you thanked God for yesterday? DON’T FORGET TO THANK GOD FOR EVERYTHING.
43. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
I’m thinking ahead here to what might happen on this next Black Friday sale.
As I type this, stores are just starting to open up from Covid-19. There already was a fight in a parking lot as well as and ice cream store having to close it’s doors one day after opening because the patrons harassed the workers.
Black Friday is only 2 weeks before the presidential election, so a lot of folks should be ready to fight at the drop of a (MAGA) hat. There is your political humor because it’s fair to make fun of both sides of politics.
There are plenty of documented cases of people fighting over sale items or the last widget in the electronics section in a normal year.
This is where this post goes to down the toilet. I have an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other.
The angel side says hire extra security and let them in based on their arrival number and only let them in a few at a time. This allows for social distancing and proper etiquette. It doesn’t address cutting in line and fights outside, but my evil side is already thinking ahead.
The devil on the other shoulder says put a couple of jumbo TVs and other desirable stuff for $25 (and not available online) and let everyone in at once. Then, sell the video on pay-per-view and see who the champion is. The depravity of humans is bound to show it’s ugly face and it would be a sellout. Watching the PPV would be better than the actual bargain. You’ll get some Darwin award winners in this scenario.
I know that reality is somewhere in between these two, but it’s not lost on me that it will be different this year. As I write down my thoughts, I’m wondering what store executives are planning given that a lot of stores make their profit numbers for the year in the last 2 months. They already are so deep in the red that even holiday sales may not save them.
Times are changing and so will Black Friday this year. I rarely buy pay-per-view on a real fight, but would consider this one.
Come back the last week in November and see if I’ve purchased the video of the fight, or if some clever marketing person has figured this out.
“Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.” – H. L. Mencken
Let’s face it, a first date is like a job interview. You put on a persona of yourself that is the best version of you. It takes a long time to find out who the other person really is. While this is happening, both people are playing a video of what they think is going on and how good it is, until it isn’t or you get into a long term relationship. At that point, you find out that the other person farts and looks like hell in the morning. The other warts come out and then it becomes does the costs of this person outweigh the benefits.
Fortunately, there is someone for everyone and hopefully that someone has enough patience to put up with your bag of crap that you have (or you put up with theirs).
Either way, it is imagination that makes the heart grow fonder, not distance.
“It is better to have loved and lost than never to have lost at all.” – Samuel Butler
OK, this is a play on words, but sometimes this is right. Everyone breaks up with the someone they thought was Mr/Mrs wonderful at first. Sometimes it is nasty and there are hard feelings. That is when this saying is true.
This is humor folks, try and remember that before you get offended.
“In the long run men hit only what they aim at.”
— Henry David Thoreau
You also miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Some wander aimlessly through life and wind up lost. Some are too focused on their goal and miss out life. Find the balance, but have a target.
“So it is more useful to watch a man in times of peril, and in adversity to discern what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn from the depths of his heart, and the mask is torn off, reality remains.” — Lucretius
Anybody can be good when times are good. You see what someone is made of in the bad times. How do they act? How do they deal with the trouble, pain, hurt and adversity. When the going gets tough, the tough get going as they say. People are most honest when they are at their end and all the layers of the onion are pealed away.
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” — Haruki Murakami
We will be different when the China/Wuhan/Covid-19/whatever virus has run its’ course. Some will act differently like washing their hands more or social distancing. Some may travel less. The smartest of these will stay off cruise ships. The wisest will decide who and what they believe in to as the rock to anchor their life on.
“Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others.” — Joseph B. Wirthlin
I know that I learn more from mistakes than from success. It hurts more and I never want to repeat it. While we as humans are doomed to go through it, we learn from the suffering, just some more than others.
Douglas Adams – “Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.”
I guess not. I wonder what lessons we will have from the Corona/Covid/China/Wuhan/Whatever virus? Probably not to trust the media and to carefully evaluate if Congress is working for us or themselves.
I’ve heard him being quoted with different versions of this one, so I’ll put in the ones that I’ve heard.
“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.” — Vince Lombardi
If winning isn’t important, why do they keep score?
Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s whether you win.
Of course, Introverts will be uniting together, separately and alone. Hopefully the extroverts won’t try to butt in and want to small talk.
Have you ever wondered what the f&*% the kids are talking about lately? Do you parents want to decode your kids texts?
Below is the Generation Z dictionary distributed by a Mr. Callahan so I point to him if any Gen Z’ers have a problem with it.
When thinking about this, I’m sure every generation trashes the previous by describing them as not as learned and their improper use of grammar. I’m also pretty confident that Shakespeare is rolling in his grave as he probably has done for each generation after him.
I’ve put some screenshots below and full link to the dictionary in PDF form to download.
What I fear is these people will be making decisions about my generation in a few years.
To fully honor this generation, I purposely didn’t put it in alphabetical order just to mess with them.
I’ll bet if you ask most people of a certain age, they are going to realize that this is true. I remember asking my father for life advice on his 75th birthday. He answered, “where did it all go so fast?” You’ll find that one below also.
Read and learn if you are young, commiserate if you agree.
#1 – I talk to myself because there are times I need expert advice.
#2 – I consider “In Style” to be the clothes that still fit.
#3 – I don’t need anger management. I need people to stop pissing me off.
#4 – My people skills are just fine. It’s my tolerance for idiots that needs work.
#5 – The biggest lie I tell myself is, “I don’t need to write that down. I’ll remember it.”
#6 – I have days when my life is just a tent away from a circus.
#7 – These days, “on time” is when I get there.
#8 – Even duct tape can’t fix stupid – but it sure does muffle the sound.
#9 – Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes, then come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller?
#10 – Lately, I’ve noticed people my age are so much older than me.
#11 – “Getting lucky” means walking into a room and remembering why I’m there.
#12 – When I was a child, I thought nap time was punishment. Now it feels like a mini-vacation.
#13 – Some days I have no idea what I’m doing out of bed.
#14 – I thought growing old would take longer.
#15 – Aging sure has slowed me down, but it hasn’t shut me up.
#16 – I still haven’t learned to act my age and doubt I’ll live that long.
Unfortunately, these are all sadly true!
I love controversial subjects, especially among the sexes. Nothing gets the hackles up quicker than something that offends what you hold close to your heart. I’ve worked with the media for decades and sensationalism is what sells. It’s sex, death, murder, immorality, bankruptcy, divorce and other vices that can be cherry picked to place on the headline. This is not real life, like…..
Ye old workplace.
It is a petri dish of human interaction that has been infected by #MeToo, harassment, incivility, sexism, partiality, affairs and occasionally competent work and results. I’ve already discussed if Men and Women can work together here, and Women now swear more than men, so I found this article and it looked either like a headline maker or a trend. I decided to find out.
Having sat through weeks of diversity training that is beyond boring and is a CYA for the legal department, I’ve been told that you can’t say certain things, act in a ways that could be demeaning or sexually suggestive or anything outside of plain vanilla. I choose to keep to myself and observe. That is why this study caught my eye. The behavior is far outside of my diversity training, yet it goes on unabated.
WHO ARE THE BIGGEST OFFENDERS?
A recent study shows that women are reporting that it is other women who are the most rude and uncivil towards women. It goes like this:
In terms of how it is acted out:
“Across the three studies, we found consistent evidence that women reported higher levels of incivility from other women than their male counterparts,” Gabriel says. “In other words, women are ruder to each other than they are to men, or than men are to women.
“This isn’t to say men were off the hook or they weren’t engaging in these behaviors,” she notes. “But when we compared the average levels of incivility reported, female-instigated incivility was reported more often than male-instigated incivility by women in our three studies.”
THE QUEEN BEE SYNDROME
The article at the link above states:
The phenomenon of women discriminating against other women in the workplace—particularly as they rise in seniority—has long been documented as the “queen bee syndrome.” As women have increased their ranks in the workplace, most will admit to experiencing rude behavior and incivility.
Who is at fault for dishing out these mildly deviant behaviors? Has the syndrome grown more pervasive?
“Studies show women report more incivility experiences overall than men, but we wanted to find out who was targeting women with rude remarks,” says Allison Gabriel, assistant professor of management and organizations in the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management.
I worked with a female named Sandy. No one was harder to understand or trust as a senior manager than she. My friends would dread working for her and it was a success not to get fired before your term was complete. Everyone tried to get out as fast as they could, or would not seek a promotion just to not work for or with her.
I WANTED TO KNOW SO I ASKED THEM IF IT WAS TRUE, WHAT THEY SAID, PERHAPS NSFW
I like to look at things from the point of view of how would an intellectual view this. Normally, this would entail a scientific study without bias, with control groups and so forth. My observation is that people’s behavior is not scientific when it comes to emotions and I’ve been told by those of the female persuasion that they are more likely to be emotional. I couldn’t argue the point, nor did I care to.
Therefore, I figured that asking some females if this was correct and what they’ve seen at work would be my best estimate as to whether this is true. Please note that some of the comments while stated verbatim are not always complimentary and some are off-color. Commenters: Note, if you get pissed off, these are answers by women to a question I asked about working with females and is the study accurate. If you just want to hate, please go elsewhere as if it’s directed at me, it’s a fart in the wind and that’s how I’ll treat it.
Here are some responses:
Females can be bitchy, catty. other names.
She slept her way to her position.
She got there because of her looks (or tits), not her ability.
She dresses like a whore.
There is one bitch who leans over in front of guys to get her way.
Women are the biggest backstabbers.
Sure there is an occasional guy who bugs me or tries to hit on me, but girls are far worse as a group.
Sure she was nice when she was one of us, but as soon as they gave her a little power, she turned on us like we’d done something to her.
She’s great to work for if you are female. She only promotes women and you can get your way over any guys.
Women here can only manage 2 inches in front of their face. They don’t get the big picture or work towards the company’s goals.
Once you make it clear you aren’t going to sleep with them, the men are much easier to work with or for. The mission and strategy are clear and they can focus on that.
Guys will either just not say anything or will tell you how it is. The girls say something to your face and f__k you over behind your back if you aren’t in their group.
Guys handle success and failure better than the girls I work with. One of them always takes it personally and spends weeks trying to get back at you instead of trying to get work done.
I can never trust what a woman says to me. Guys don’t lie as much or as well as girls do unless they want in your pants.
Women talk too much and I can’t get my work done.
When aunt Flo comes calling honey you better hide from that bitch.
Just get more than one female together in a group and watch the fireworks.
Guys are used to joking, I think they learned it in a locker room or something. They can cuss each other out in a meeting and it’s like a punch in the arm and then go have a beer. A woman will hold something you say to her against you for the rest of your life.
Enough! Most of these I got multiple times, which is why they made the list. I stopped asking because this attitude was overwhelming me.
CONCLUSION
I can only surmise that it is tough for women to work with women. I didn’t give it much thought until I read this study, but it does appear that women are more difficult towards other women at the workplace
This is the Background for my Facebook page, the reason I thought this article was so interesting. Perhaps you will also. Even the person some regard as the smartest surely forgot some things, especially on his desk.
Even the smartest people out there sometimes forget some of those obvious concepts:
1. Not feeling ready can be a good thing
Opportunities rarely come when we are 100% ready to seize them. They are more likely to knock on your door when you feel insecure with your preparation, knowledge and skills. But that doesn’t mean you should be ignoring them until you feel ready. Most of our lifetime opportunities force us to grow both emotionally and intellectually. They push us to give the best of ourselves, even if that means getting out of our comfort zones. But sacrificing our comfort can give us the chance for personal growth. If you want to change your life for the better, you should open yourself to the opportunities that arise, even if you don’t feel 100% ready.
2. Success and failure go hand in hand
Often times people tend to misinterpret the meaning of the word “failure”. Why are we so afraid of failure? It is just as natural as succeeding. Failure doesn’t mean not succeeding. It is actually a part of the circle of success. And success itself shouldn’t be measured by the achievement of a particular goal. Success is a state of being and therefore everyone can feel successful.
3. Action is the key for all success
We often hear that knowledge is power. But it only is power if you use it. Knowing how to do something and actually doing it are two completely different things. It doesn’t matter if ,for example, you read books and articles on fighting procrastination, and take no particular action to overcome that problem. Knowledge and intelligence are useless without action.
4. Even mistakes mean progress
If you look back in your life, maybe you will realize that the mistakes you have done in the past have taught you valuable lessons. So why should we be scared of making mistakes, if they help us grow stronger and wiser? Every mistake you make on the way to a particular goal brings you one step closer to achieving it. It is highly possible that the mistake you will regret the most in your life is not taking action because of the fear of making mistakes. This way you will always be wondering what could have happened, if you hadn’t been so scared. And most importantly- you wouldn’t have made any progress. So don’t be afraid of feeling uncertain about something- give it a try and see what happens.
5. Making decisions is impeded when there are too many options
We live in times when there are so many opportunities for us to choose from when it comes to determining our career and life paths. But when we have so many choices before us, we can often times get confused and indecisive. Business and marketing studies prove that when a consumer has more product choices, he’s predisposed to buy less. If you think about it, choosing one product out of three product choices feels much easier than choosing one out of three hundred. Most people will give up easily, if the buying decision process is tough.
6. Success doesn’t necessarily mean happiness
Many people believe that they can only be happy if they accomplish a particular goal. In my opinion, we can choose to be happy every day, no matter where on the path to our goals we are at the moment. “The monk who sold his Ferrari” by Robin Sharma is one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. One of the main ideas shared by the author is that you don’t have to wait to accomplish your dreams to be happy. The main character was one of the most successful layers in the country but even though he had everything he ever wanted, he wasn’t a happy person. The most important thing is to cherish every moment of every day and to be thankful for who you are and what you have now.
7. You can be the best at something even if you don’t like doing it
Some people say that in order to be good at doing something, you should love doing this thing. In my opinion, this isn’t necessarily true. If a person devotes their time and effort to learn a particular skill, they can become excellent at it. How they feel about the activity doesn’t determine their success in it.
8. What we see in others exists in us
When we have a problem with someone, this can actually help us learn more about ourselves. It can help us learn why we see that problem in the other person, and the reason can be that we hold it inside of us, too, and seeing it exposed before us can be frustrating. But acknowledging that what we see in others is a reflection of ourselves, can help us overcome our unsolved issues.
Hat tip to Intelligence.com
I read this article and could hardly believe it. It was me. I’ll editorialize between the lines based on past and current experiences, but people should realize that people are different and here is one group that is virtually unnoticed but should be understood.
The link is now broken, but here is the annotated article:
Introverts catch a lot of shit for being introverted. The whole world seems
so enamored by extroverts – the people we know who just want
to be around people all the time. While we introverts might
not want that, it doesn’t mean we’re depressed or
suicidal or anything wacky like that. There are
some things you should know about us.
1. Small talk sucks.
We’re just not very good at it. We’re typically the big-thinking types.
We like big ideas and theories. Small talk is uncomfortable.
We don’t care about the weather or how
your cat has been doing.
It is very annoying because it mostly is useless to us.
If you need to share so badly,
check with an extrovert who can’t wait to share back.
You just won’t get good
feedback from us.
2. Being alone is fine.
Seriously, we’re doing okay, even if we hole up in our houses for a while.
We don’t need other people for stimulation. We find that ourselves.
We’d almost always rather be alone. We don’t want to be hermits,
but we are good at keeping ourselves busy and this is
our comfort zone for life.
We don’t have to be with a crowd to do something,
although we might come
along once in a while.
3. We aren’t rude or uptight.
We might seem like that at first, but get to know us. We’re still a fun bunch
of friends, we just don’t always acclimate to unfamiliar settings and people
so quickly.
Mostly because you are loud and want to be the center of attention,
something we can’t relate to. When we find out who you really are
behind the facade, it’s easy to get to know us, unless you are phony.
4. Sometimes, we swing both ways.
We might be introverts, but sometimes we are just so the life of the
party. We do this willingly when we’re up to it, but we can’t always
keep that kind of energy going. If we throw a party, great! But give
us some time to recover.
Recover is the key word. We can be with or in a crowd, but afterwords,
we need time alone.
5. We have friends. And they like us! Probably.
People hear the word ‘introvert’ and think of the goth kid sitting alone
at the food court. That’s a whole different thing entirely. We love having
friends, and our friends love having us! We put in a conscious effort for
people we think are worth it.
We see through those who are not worth it and move on as those who
have a constant self centered need for attention aren’t real people,
and likely are far more insecure than we are.
6. When with the right people, we feel safe.
Having the right people in our lives is amazing. we really give our
best selves to the best people. We shine in the right company.
But sometimes it takes a while to find those people.
7. We like to write things out.
Writing is easier than talking for us sometimes. Email is the best
because it helps us get the thoughts out of our heads without
being interrupted. Thinking about giving us a call? Try a text or email instead.
8. We’re super productive.
Sometimes at least. Usually in our alone time, we’re able to really
rock and roll on projects that we need to finish. The solitude helps us,
as we tend to be a bit more distractible than most.
Especially when you constantly talk about nothing just to talk. At work,
the people who have to comment on everything are the worst as
it usually isn’t productive. See small talk.
9. If we don’t like you, you won’t know it.
It’s the truth of the matter. We hate conflict. So even if we don’t like you,
we’ll still be nice. It’s a lot easier than being real with you. Especially if
your feelings are inconsequential enough that confronting you on your
bullshit isn’t even worth the time. Sorry. Well, not sorry.
And we move along without you as you just aren’t worth it.
10. Networking events suck.
Seriously. Is there a mailing list we need to opt out of? There are few
things more uncomfortable than a networking party. Except maybe a
dentist’s networking party that we’ve just been accidentally invited to.
Yes, so why do extroverts keep trying to drag us into this nightmare?
11. We don’t like crowds.
Though I find that after a few beers, I can tolerate it. Introverts tend to
get overstimulated easily, so big crowds are tough to deal with.
It’s just not worth it. Those who have MOP (miss out phobia)
have to be with the crowd, not us. See number 2.
12. Sorry, we probably weren’t listening to your story.
We care deeply about our friends, but people outside of that
circle will have a tough time maintaining our attention. It’s not
that we have ADD or anything like that, we just don’t really
care about you. On the plus side, we won’t judge you, so feel
free to tell us all the fucked up things you said to your ex.
People will tell me anything and everything because
I won’t repeat it. But usually won’t remember it either.
13. Don’t make a fuss out of our birthdays.
For the longest time, I had a great deal of difficulty
understanding why I hated my birthday so much.
Everyone I ever knew would come out and party
with me! But then I realized: that’s the problem!
We don’t need to make a fuss out of our birthdays,
so please don’t do it to us.
Or any holiday for that matter. It’s just another day.
14. We don’t want to make a fuss out of your birthday.
We can quietly honor the annual birthday, right?
It’s your day. You have everyone else making a big deal about it.
Let them.
15. If we’ve chosen to be friends with you, appreciate it.
We value our alone time. If we see you often, it means that we
really love you. Just don’t get too bummed out when we
don’t hang for a week at a time sometimes.
We’ll likely be the most reliable friend you have, the one
you can call on when your loud friends let you down.
But visitors are like fish, they smell after 3 days.
Hat tip to Higher Perspective.
What they might not tell you but you need to know is that they are good for your business.
These are from a book called Disorder in the Court. These are things
people
actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by
court
reporters – who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were
actually taking place. Some of these are excellent – don’t miss the last
one.
Q: Are you sexually active?
A: No, I just lie there.
===
Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July fifteenth.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.
===
Q: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
A: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
===
Q: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
A: Yes.
Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
A: I forget.
Q: You forget. Can you give us an example of something that you’ve
forgotten?
===
Q: How old is your son, the one living with you?
A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can’t remember which.
Q: How long has he lived with you?
A: Forty-five years.
===
Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke up that
morning?
A: He said, “Where am I, Cathy?”
Q: And why did that upset you?
A: My name is Susan.
===
Q: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo or the
occult?
A: We both do.
Q: Voodoo?
A: We do.
Q: You do?
A: Yes, voodoo.
===
Q: Now doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he
doesn’t know about it until the next morning?
===
Q: The youngest son, the twenty-year old, how old is he?
===
Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?
===
Q: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
A: Yes.
Q: And what were you doing at that time?
===
Q: She had three children, right?
A: Yes.
Q: How many were boys?
A: None.
Q: Were there any girls?
===
Q: How was your first marriage terminated?
A: By death.
Q: And by whose death was it terminated?
===
Q: Can you describe the individual?
A: He was about medium height and had a beard.
Q: Was this a male, or a female?
===
Q: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice
which I sent to your attorney?
A: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
===
Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?
A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.
===
Q: All your responses must be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
A: Oral.
===
Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
Q: And Mr.. Dennington was dead at the time?
A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an Autopsy.
===
Q: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
===
Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for blood pressure?
A: No.
Q: Did you check for breathing?
A: No.
Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the
autopsy?
A: No.
Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
Q: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
A: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law
somewhere.
Update: I posted this in 2005. My daughters then bf got bent out of shape because I spoke the truth. He was going to write a rebuttal, but didn’t. This was before the Kardashian sex tape or their awful show that I never have watched. It turns out that this was right all along and he’s done a 180 now that he is in the working world. My sister has lost everything now, but due to financial mismanagement and the inability of her husband to keep a job, not due to natural disasters That is a different story.
I was going to call it the 2 faces of humanity, just thinking of what the folks in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are going through bringing out the good and bad in some, but it occurred to me that there are many flavors of this subject. But for this post, I’ll concentrate on the simple good and bad.
What is happening in those states is devastating. I can only mildly relate as we’ve had some bad hurricanes here (Fran comes to mind in NC where some are still recovering) and a recent ice storm where we were out of power for a week, but it is bad there. My sister lives near Lake Pontchartrain and has likely lost her house. Her family got out in time and are living with my parents right now, lucky them. It’s not the same for those who have lost lives, jobs, family and other things like heirlooms and photo’s which are forever gone.
These catastrophe’s bring out the good in some folks. Already there are local fisherman driving around in bass boats rescuing people from their houses. There are organizations which are gathering supplies, people lining up to donate time and money to help. I read this morning where you can donate like the Red Cross , Samaritans Purse, and other good groups who are sincere in helping out. FEMA is organizing for the biggest relief effort ever. For those that get my feed via RSS, I’ll be visiting del.ico.us today to add them to my list.
Then there is the other side. I’ve seen reports of looters, the construction scammers, insurance fraud and many others. This is also unfortunately something that raises it’s ugly head during these times. I hope that this is kept in check.
Then the way we can act hit me. Through the power of DVR (i was scanning and deleting shows), I happened to watch back to back the hurricane coverage then the reality show, “filthy rich cattle drive” where the spoiled brat kids of celebrity’s are “roughing” it on a cattle drive. This is like going to a zoo to watch animals. These kids are the most narcissistic people I’ve ever seen, worried about how they look, trying to get make up, dry cleaning and Fed Ex in the middle of nowhere and me, me, me. This was supposed to be about helping a charity. One of them of course was Kim Kardashian.
It’s just to ironic that these two faces of humanity are happening at the same time.
Natural disasters have been happening since the creation of the earth. There was the tsunami last year for example. Fortunately, people have stepped up and helped others through the course of history and I hope and pray it happens here.
A lesson that strikes me (besides the obvious of striving to be good) is to be prepared and to be able to take care of yourself in the many situations life will present to you. Acts of God like this (even for skeptics, this is the clause in your homeowners insurance) will continue, so dealing with it is inevitable. Being ready in anything is half the battle sometimes. Appreciate your family, friends and experiences in life. It’s times like this that remind you how important and fleeting they can be.
So it’s off to my now seemingly trivial day when compared to those now trying to put their lives back together.
Update on Sis: just heard from her and the house made it, but she won’t be able to go back for months. Thanks to those folks who sent regards.
Delusions of Adequacy 